Rochester Could Soon See Rental Scooters

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - It looks like the electric scooter craze is coming to Rochester.

The City Council is scheduled to vote next week on a request to support a pilot program involving the deployment of Lime scooters in Rochester. The company plans to deploy a fleet of powered scooters in the city than can be rented by users through a smartphone app and other means. The proposed pilot program would run from August 1 through November 30.

Deputy City Administrator Aaron Parrish states, “This pilot reflects the City’s commitment to continue to explore transportation alternatives that help provide a wide selection of options for our community. We hope to utilize this opportunity with Lime to better understand the use of scooters and how it would work best in our community.”

City officials say current ordinances do not prevent any scooter company from operating in Rochester, but Lime approached officials earlier this year and expressed an interest in working with the city to identify the benefits and potential problems. The proposed pilot program gives the city the ability to reduce the number of scooters operating and provides the city with access to a data dashboard to track ridership and other statistics.

Rochester ordinances treat scooters the same as bicycles, which means they must be used in a bike or traffic lane and cannot be operated on sidewalks in the downtown area. A news release indicates each scooter will be labeled with an email and phone number. Lime will also have local representatives available to respond to questions or concerns.